


Seredoc on 'The Tradition'

by BardicRaven



Category: Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms - Mercedes Lackey
Genre: Elemental Magic, Gen, Magic, Magic Revealed, Magic-Users, Traditions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-25
Updated: 2011-12-25
Packaged: 2017-10-28 02:36:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/302804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BardicRaven/pseuds/BardicRaven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You have Qs about the Tradition.</p>
<p>We have some thoughts and answers for you. :></p>
            </blockquote>





	Seredoc on 'The Tradition'

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mari4212](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mari4212/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Al's Place aka Calavicchi's Crosstime Saloon](https://archiveofourown.org/works/37796) by [BardicRaven](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BardicRaven/pseuds/BardicRaven). 



> ##### So, apologies for the explanation coming so late. 2011 was a very... difficult year, and then Life happened and I went away from my fic-ly Love for a while. Back now, and picking up the pieces as I find them.
> 
> ##### So the story goes thusly: Seredoc is a Guide who came to me in 2009, when I was in the process of writing 'Al's Place, a.k.a. Calavicchi's Crosstime Saloon' for Yuletide Madness 2009. We wrote the piece together, and when my head cleared, I really liked the work we'd done, and the way that he explained some very mind-bending concepts.
> 
> ##### So when I saw the Prompt for this story, I asked him to come again and help me write.
> 
> ##### But if I told the tale then, it would be glaringly obvious who'd written, so this part of the story needed to wait.
> 
> ##### Enjoy! And remember, while this is in an Archive of fiction, what is said here is very true and can be used in your life to help you write, and live, the stories of your Dreams.
> 
> ##### Bright Blessings to All and to all, wondrous ficcing! :-) 
> 
> ##### -B!

So, I shall ask Seredoc to please come and write with me  again.

Hello again! (the particulars of this will be explained after the reveal :>)

So, you wish to know of the Tradition?

Well, I shall tell you first what it is NOT.

It is not carved in stone.

It is what you would perhaps call an Elemental, tho' not of the Earth as such.

Rather, think of it as an Elemental of the humans' collective mind.

It has its preferred Paths, as you know, but it also can, with Will & Desire, be convinced to take other forms.

This you know.

What you may or may NOT know however, is what that means.

It means that the Tradition has awareness, tho’ not in the same way that a human, or a Guide, for that matter, has awareness.

It thinks in its own way, but not in the way thought is commonly seen, as a human or other embodied form thinks.

The Tradition’s thinking is almost more of the flow of a river. It finds the easiest, most well-worn paths to flow its consciousness down and then does so.

It forces the same stories, or tries to, for the same reason that it is very difficult to redirect a river’s flow, especially as the river gets larger and larger from having had more and more water flow through it.

It’s simply a matter of ease and scale.

Because of its Elemental status, the Tradition can be communicated with, in very broad and basic ways.

You can call upon it as an ally of sorts, provided you keep your Asking in a form that it can do something about.

Keep your requests simple and as broad as possible. Think of gentle steering in a particular direction, rather than making a tiny rivulet with steep, high, banks.

Ask the Tradition from the perspective of an Author.

When you craft a story, you are looking at it from above, so to speak.

You know all the players and all the happenings.

When you are living your life, you are doing so from the perspective of a character IN a story.

By definition, you do not have complete information on a situation. You cannot possibly know everything that is going into your story at any given moment.

This is when acknowledging your otherworldly Helpers can be of use, for they can take that Authorial perspective for you and give you information from that more-inclusive perspective.

Something else you may find of value when looking at the Tradition and how to use it: you yourself have the choice of whether to follow a Traditional Path or not.

Have you ever noticed that there are places in your life that seem as if they are coming straight out of a storybook?

Well, they are.

The Story of your Life.

Yes, it is easier for lives to flow in certain channels, that's why and how they were developed in the first place.

A leads to B leads to C, winding eventually down to X, Y, and Z.

Some say you choose this Path before you are even born, but this is not precisely true.

You choose facets of a Path, but not necessarily the whole.

That is the part you choose while you are here on Earth.

You choose a beginning Plot Point, if you will, and then the fun begins.

Like the Tradition of the story, events will try to flow in a certain way, tho' frequently not as obviously in the physical world as it is in Story.

But, despite what it may feel like sometimes, you do have free will here, so are always free to choose where you will go next.

Yes, the further down that particular Master Plot you go, the harder it is to deviate from it, for good or ill.

BUT IT IS NEVER IMPOSSIBLE!!!

You are ALWAYS able to choose to turn your Path.

What may or may not be more difficult is whether or not you CAN turn your Path in another direction.

THAT is a factor of your Will and your determination.

In fairy tales, things never happen easily.

There are ALWAYS challenges to be overcome.

That is why you come here, after all, to Explore all the variations this physical world has to offer.

But, as also occurs in tales, there is help available to you , if you are willing and able to accept it and ask for it nicely.

Politeness counts in these stories, just look and see.

(And take note for your own Journey. :-D)

How to work with the Tradition, you ask?

For yes, such is possible here.

As with any Archetypal work, I would strongly suggest study of the forms.

There are books out there on Master Plots and Archetypes both.

Start learning.

The more you know, the more you can practice conscious choice around the subject.

Then, once you have a basic understanding of the forms, then start putting your knowledge into practice.

Start small.

Work up.

Same as in any other practice.

Treat it with respect. :>

And it will do the same for you! :-) :> :>

If you would like a specific Practice to try, I would suggest this: take a situation from your life and write the ending how you would like it to be.

It can be as easy and boring as you’d like it to be! Remember, this is writing for a real life, not for publications!

Drama is necessary in fictional stories to move the plot along and to give it both dramatic tension and some coherency.

Real life doesn’t have to be like that!

Real life is allowed to be easy.

Real life is allowed to flow smoothly.

So write it down, letting it be easy and full of flow.

Then give it to the Universe.

Ask your Guides/Guardians/Angels/Helpers/etc to help you.

Ask the Tradition, appropriate Archetypes, and appropriate Totems and Elementals to help you.

Remember to say ‘This or better, please and thank you!’ when giving it to the Universe. (See above reminder that Politeness Counts. Read any fairy tale you like to see that Rudeness Has Negative Consequences. :> )

Notice what happens next! :-) :>

Feel free to rinse and repeat as you like. :-) :>

  
That was AWESOME! Thank you!

You are most welcome! :-)


End file.
